Amazon raises shipping allowances

Amazon released it's revised shipping rates - obviously the music one is geared for dvd & cd sellers, not record sellers. Just make sure you charge enough for the lp to eat some of the postage cost and the cost of the mailer and padding. The lowest price I've seen for an lp on Amazon has been $19.95, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Looking for titles of oop cds?

You can go to the cd category on ebay, type "oop" in the search bar, and then rank listing from most expensive to cheapest. If you go down the lefthand sidebar and click on completed auctions, you can see what's actually selling, as opposed to "wishing for" prices.

Or you can go to weberbooks.com - on the right hand sidebar he has the Amazon buyers waiting list available for cds ranked from high price on down.

If you go out scouting with a PDA, one of these files will come in handy if you're debating whether or not to buy that cd - some of the soundtrack prices might surprise you. Bull Durham for $64 - whodda thunk?

Good luck hunting!

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buying sources for LPs & 45s

need more inventory? try these ideas - post a wanted ad on craigslist. Join the local freecycle and cheapcycle orgs in your area - also a good way to get rid of your dead stock! Put ads in your local shopper & alternative papers - the local alternative paper has been my single best wanted to buy ad.

Go to vistaprint.com and get free (except for s&h) business cards. Post on bulletin boards, laundromats, etc. Hand them out to your local pawnshops - people are always asking them to take lps & 45s.

Go to booksalefinder.com and sign up for the email newsletter. Most booksales have vinyl for sale as well as cds.

And don't forget the upcoming yard sales season!

some Pink Floyd lp prices on Amazon

just checked some Floyd vinyl lp prices on Amazon - $34.99 for Dark Side, $50 for the Wall, Animals is 9.99, Meddle, Piper at the Gates of Dawn unavailable. Meanwhile, Pink Floyd lp lots on eBay are going for $3-$8 per lp. Methinks me smells an arbitrage opportunity....

Shipping your 45s & LPs

This is one of the most oft repeated questions on the boards at Ebay, right after "How much is this record worth". For small quantities of shipping supplies, check out your local pizza place - the large corrugated boxes work well for lps - I can fit up to 12 lps in a box with padding. Personal size pizza boxes work well for 45s. Use junk lp covers as padding top & bottom, with styrofoam peanuts around the sides. Don't buy your peanuts - I find a lot of freebies at frame shops and head shops (think bongs). For larger quantities, check out Something Special Enterprises PO Box 74, Allison Park, PA 15101 412/487-2626 or Bags Unlimited (see links). Your customers will love you if you also use the protective sleeves both places sell. If you buy in large enough quantities, selling the sleeves to your customers is a nice little add-on sale.


For cds, padded envelopes work great. Search on ebay - I've had good luck with eshippingsupply. But check out who's got the best deal including shipping to your location.

For just a few records, USPS media mail is the best. For larger lots, check UPS's prices.

where to sell 45s LPs 78s on line

By far away the best site for me is ebay. For common records that aren't worth shipping, I post an ad on craigslist. Plus it's free. I usually lot them up by genre and sell them that way. Third in terms of sales for me is Amazon, but when I get more listed, that's going to go up.

I've tried Musicstack in the past, but didn't have any luck. I'm still signed up on Buybundle (they're still free, and when they start charging it'll be commission only)which lists my Amazon inventory on gbase. I've tried Alibris, too, which lets you list vinyl lps & cassettes, but no luck. Most of the vendors on there tend to be higher end booksellers, so it may not be the target audience for music sellers. Some of my inventory is also listed on GEMM.com, but sales are few and far between.

GEMM doesn't charge a listing fee, nor does Amazon. You can download a sample spreadsheet from both places, combine them, and then post your listings to both places, which cuts your listing time. Alibris also supports this, but they charge a monthly fee depnending on how many items you list. Chrislands can take your Amazon listings and post them on your own website. Many booksellers love them, but I don't have any feedback for music sellers.

Also check out Goldmine magazine - especially for the definitions of record grading!

For 78's, the only ones I've found worth listing on eBay were early rock 'n roll, some jazz, and blues (how i wish I could find more of that). For other 78's, send $2 for this list: Docks, PO Box 691035, San Antonio, TX 78269. They'll send you a comprehensive listing of what labels and types of music on 78 they'll buy. Usually a few bucks a disc, but hey, it's a cash buyer.

why i've started this blog

There seems to be plenty of resources for selling vinyl records on the web, but no spot tying them altogether. My aim here is to be a resource for online vinyl dealers, but also acting as a clearinghouse for the general public with their vinyl selling questions.

Me - i've been involved with selling music for most of my life, starting as a teenager working at Second Coming Records in Greenwich Village. I owned a b&m record store for 15 years, now selling exclusively online. I sell on ebay, amazon, buybundle/gbase, gemm and craigslist. I've tried a few of the others, such as Musicstack.

So my first tip is to start listing your vinyl on Amazon. If you're already a pro merchant, you can create your own pages to list. If not, hope someone else has already created a page for the lp you want to sell. BTW, you can also list cassettes now. My first sale was Pink Floyd's The Wall, gatefold version, vg/vg for $20!